Ufotable has published a new Demon Slayer illustration to commemorate the Japanese Setsubun festival day in 2021. The illustration shows the main characters Tanjiro, Nezuko, Inosuke, Zenitsu, and Kyojuro celebrating the day by throwing beans and setting fish heads on tree branches. [Thanks, Famitsu!]
Setsubun is a Japanese festival day held between the second to the fourth days of February. For this year, Setsubun day falls on February 2, 2021. Although it is not a public holiday, the day is still well known for Japanese people to perform rituals right before Spring begins in the Japanese lunar calendar.
As shown by Tanjiro and Nezuko in the illustration, people in Japan throw roasted beans around their houses and shrines on the day to get rid of demons while bringing in good fortune. Another custom for the ritual day is decorating one’s house entrance with holy tree leaves and fish heads to prevent evil spirits from entering, similar to the branches held by Inosuke.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is one of the most popular manga and anime franchises in recent years. We’ve seen Demon Slayer content for not only Setsubun but also the upcoming Valentine’s Day. More merchandise items related to the franchise, such as Figma figures and Tamagotchis, are currently being produced. The first 26 episodes of the anime adaptation are now available to watch on Netflix with Japanese and English voice options.
